Steering-gear.



No. 784,042. PATENTED MAR. v, 1905. A. B. FOWLER.

STEERING GEAR.

APPLIGATIOH FILED NOV. 3. 1900.

' a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTBD MAR. 7, 1905.

A. B. FOWLER.

STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3. 1900.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

m fqasses PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905.

A. B. FOWLER.

STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 3. 1900.-

3 SHEBTS-SHEBT 3.

I Mn w Patented March "7, 19055.

ALFRED l). FOWLER, OF CENTRAL FALLS, Rl-lUllE lSlni'Nl).

STEEl llNG GIEAF-i.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,0t2, dated March7', 1905.

Application filed November 3, 1900. Serial No. 35,421.

To a, Hill/077D it may concern/.-

Be it known that 'l, ALrnsi) B. FowLnn, of Central Falls, in the countyof Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Steering- (ii-ears. 01 which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved steering-gear for motor-vehicles.

ln motor-vehicles as commonly constructed it is customary to secure thesteeringwheels to the ends of the axle by independent pivotalconnections which permit the wheels to be swung laterally in eitherdirection to steer the vehicle without swinging the axle as a whole, asin a horse-drawn vehicle. The axes of the pivotal connections betweenthe wheels and the axle are on lines passing through or near to thepoints of contact between the wheels and the ground, so that obstaclesencountered directly by the wheels have little or no tendency to movethe wheels laterally and deflect the vehicle from its course; but in theoperation of the vehicles, particularly of those having great Weight andspeed, it has been found that rats and other obstructions whichencounter the wheel obliquely or laterally have a powerful tendency todeflect the wheels and to divert the vehicle from its course, besidestransmitting disagreeable SllOCliS t0 the hand of the operator of thevehicle, or even wrenching the hand-lever or other controlling memberfrom the operators grasp. In order to obviate the danger andinconvenience of such an arrangement, it has been customary to introducein the connections between the steering-Wheels and the hand-wheel ortiller an irreversible mechanisma, a mechanism capable of transmittingmotion in one direction onlythe irreversible mechanism being arranged topermit the operator to turn the wheels freely about their pivots bymoving the controlling member, but absolutely to prevent the wheels,under the influence of a lateral stress, from moving the controllingmember by a reverse operation of the connecting mechanism. By thisarrangement the controlling member is made wholly irresponsive to theWheels and the transmission of shocks to the hand of the operator isavoided; but a new dil'liculty is introduced. Since the irreversiblemember is irresponsive to the tendency of the wheels to move laterally,the wheels are held rigidly at all times, and this results in severestrain upon the wheels, the irreversible mechanism, and the connectionsbetween these parts whenever a considerable lateral force isencounter-calv by the wheels.

It is one object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantageabove described resulting from the introduction of irreversiblemechanism, and to this end the invention contemplates the introduction0] springs in the connections between the irreversible mechanism and thewheels, by which the wheels may be permitted to yield laterallyindependently of the irreversible mechanism, being returned, however, totheir proper direction by the springs when the lateral stress isremoved. ln the ireierred form of the inven tion each steering-wheel isconnected with the irreversible mechanism by indiaicndent sprinconnections, so that the wheels may yield in dependently of each otheras well as oi the irreversible mechanism. Thus it one wheel onlyencounter an obstacle, as is usually the case, that wheel alone will bedeflected from its proper direction, and the tendency oi such wheel todeflect the vehicle from its proper course will be resisted by the othersteeringwheel, which will remain true.

Another object oi the invention is to produce an improved form ofcoiniiecting and supporting mechanism for the hand-wheel or othercontrollingmember; and to this end the invention consists in theimproved steeringgear hereinafter described, and more particularlydefined in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motor-vehicleembodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view on the line A B,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a 'liroiit elevation oi the same parts. Fig. i and 5are similar to Figs. 2 and 3, respectively, with the exception ofcertain modifications of the cam mechanism; and Fig. 6 is a verticalmedian section of the steering gear.

The illustrated embodiment of the present invention is constructed asfollows: the steering-wheels 1 of the vehicle are mounted in the usualmanner on short axles 3, pivoted at vertical knuckle-joints 4 on theends of the trussaxle 5. Arms 6, fixed to the axles 3, are connected,through members 12, 13, and 14, with a slide 10, having a bearing in thebracket 7, fixed to the truss 5. The slide 10 carries one or moreroller-pins 11, engaging a horizontal cam 9. In Figs. 2and 3 agroovedcam is shown engaged by a single pin, while Figs. 4 and 5 show aperipheral cam engaged by two pins. The cam 9 is fixed to a verticalshaft 8, provided with a universal joint 17. The shaft 8 is rotatablyconnected by a pin-andslot connection with a shaft 19, journaled in thesteering-column 20, which latter is fixed to the floor of the body 18 ofthe vehicle. The universal joint 17 and the pin-and-slot connectionpermit independent movement of the body and the running-gear when thesupportingsprings 21 are compressed.

The vertical shaft 19 is turned through the medium of a bevel-gear 22,fixed thereon, and a bevel-gear 23, mounted upon and splined to ahorizontal shaft 24, journaled in a yoke 20, mounted on the head of thesteering-column. A hand-wheel 25, fixed on the horizontal shaft, servesas a controlling member to operate the entire train of mechanism abovedescribed. The yoke 20 is journaled on astem 27 at the top of thesteering-column and provided with a set-screw 28 to prevent rotationwhen desirable.

The members 12 and 13 are short connectingrods pivotally attached to theslide 10 and the arms 6, respectively, and connected together by thespring devices 14, which comprise sleeves fixed to the connecting-rods12 and loosely inclosing the ends of the connectingrods 13. Upon theends of the latter are heads engaged on either side by springs 15, theother ends of which engage the ends of the sleeves and of theconnecting-rods 12, fixed therein. These springs 15 permit a limitedendwise movement of the connecting-rods 13 with respect to the sleevesand the rods 12.

The arrangement of cam and pins above described constitutes anirreversible mechanism, since the pitch of the cam is such that the pinscannot rotate it.

Although double opposed springs have been shown in the yielding devices,being deemed preferable in this connection, single springs may be used;but the arrangement shown possesses the advantage of permitting thesprings to be under initial compression, yet ready to yield to anydisturbing force. however slight, in proportion to its strength. Thisarrangement has the further advantage of preventing the transmission ofvibrations in either directionfrom either wheel through the connectingmechanism.

The construction of the steering-column and the parts mounted thereonpermits the convenient disposal of the steering-wheel while the operatoris leaving or entering the vehicle. The hand-wheel 25 and its shaft maybe swung to either side about the journal 27, or it may he pushedforward, the shaft 24 sliding through the gear 23. These arrangementsalso permit of the wheel being manipulated in the most convenientposition by either occupant of the carriage.

I am aware that it has been proposed to provide a traction-engine with asteering-gear in which the steering-wheels are carried by acentrally-pivoted axle which is turned upon its pivot by a'worm-and-gear mechanism, springs being interposed between the axle andthe mechanism to permit the wheels to yield to obstacles. Thisarrangement, how ever, is inapplicable to motor -vehicles as usuallyconstructed and does not effectively accomplish the intended result.Since a considerable deflection of the axle must occur to turn thewheels substantially from a straight course, and owing also to theposition of the pivots, the slight yielding of the axle permitted by thesprings does not allow the wheels to yield substantially to a lateralstress, but

serves merely to allow the wheels to move.

backward under the influence of an obstacle encountered directly.Moreover, both wheels must in this arrangement move at once in oppositedirections, so that the effectiveness of the device is greatly reducedowing to the inertia of the wheels and axle, and the advantages of theindependentwheel movement per mitted by the applicants preferredconstruction are not gained.

The present invention is not limited to the details of construction ofthe embodiment shown and described, but may be embodied in many otherforms substantially defined in the claims.

The term controlling member as used in the claims designates thehand-wheel, tiller, or other device by which the operator of the vehiclecontrols the steering-gear.

1 claim* 1. A steering-gear for motor-vehicles, having, in combination,a controlling member, an irreversible mechanism connected therewith,steering-wheels independently pivoted at points near their planes ofrotation, and connections between the steering-wheels and theirreversible mechanism including spring members acting to permit lateralmovement of the wheels independently of the irreversible mechanism,substantially as described.

2. A steering-gear for motor-vehicles, having, in combination, acontrolling member, an irreversible mechanism connected therewith,pivoted steering-wheels arranged to have independent lateral movement,and connections between the wheels and the irreversible mechanismincluding springs acting to permit each steering-wheel to yieldlaterally independently of the irreversible mechanism and the othersteering-wheel, substantially as described.

3. A steering-gear for motor-vehicles, having, in combination,steering-wheels, a controlling member, a rotatable shaft onwhich the controlling member is mounted for transmitting motion by itsrotation from the controlling member to the steering-wheels, andsupporting means for the said shaft permitting angular displacementthereof about a substantially vertical axis, substantially as described.

4. A steering-gear for motor-vehicles, having, incombination,steering-Wheels, a controlling member, a horizontal shaftcarrying the controlling member and rotatable thereby, means forsupporting the horizontal shaft and permitting angular displacementthereof about a vertical axis, and means operated by the rotation of thehorizontal shaft for transmitting motion from the controlling member tothe steering-wheels, substantially as described.

A steering-gear for motor-vehicles, having, incombination,steering-wheels, acontrolling member, a rotatable shaft onwhich the controlling member is mounted for transmitting, by itsrotation, motion from the controlling member to the steering-wheels, andmeans for supporting the said shaft permitting both longitudinal andangular displacement thereof, substantially as described.

6. A steering-gear for motor-vehicles, having, incombination,steering-wheels, a controlling member, connections betweenthe said wheels and the controlling member including a cam and acam-follower, connecting-rods between the canrfollower and thesteeringwheels, and spring connections between the said connecting-rods,acting to permit lateral movement of the steering-wheels independentlyof the irreversible mechanism, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig nature in presence of twowitnesses.

ALFRED B. FOWLER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. Vosm, l-IIRAM: (J. JENKS.

